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Jordan-esque
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 Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:18 pm Post subject: Kobe: "When I was a Rookie, I hated Del Harris" |
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| Quote: | @MarkG_Medina
Kobe on what fueled his 62-point game against Dallas in 2006: "Del Harris. When I was a rookie, I hated Del."
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Gatekeeper
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Lonzo-Lite
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| Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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Kobe and D'Angelo have some Rookie problems in common after all.
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dont_be_a_wuss
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| Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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That game was a month before he scored 81. After 3 quarters, Kobe had 62 points, and PJ told Shaw to ask Bryant if he wanted to go back in the game and try to get to 70, or if he wanted to rest. Kobe looked up at the scoreboard and said he would rest. Shaw pleaded with and said, you have a chance to score 70, do you know how rare this chance is? Naw, I'll get some other time. I'll do it when we need it, Kobe replied.  |
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Megaton
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Lonzo-Lite
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| Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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Was there a reason why Del Harris didn't like playing Kobe?
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Lakerfan 4 Life
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| Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Nashlight wrote: | | Was there a reason why Del Harris didn't like playing Kobe? |
The wing position was stacked with Ced, Eddie, Byron. Not enough playing time for Kobe. |
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Gimme_the_rock
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| Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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And I hated Delmer that season too.
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Oliver Reed
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| Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Nashlight wrote: | | Was there a reason why Del Harris didn't like playing Kobe? |
No one liked Kobe. Kobe rubs people the wrong way. Phil didn't like him because he was looking into the mirror when he looked at Kobe. Same kind of personality. Egotistical, know it all who backed up what he put out there.
Del Harris didn't play him for the same reason dip (bleep) Scott doesn't play Russell. Because he can. Using the rookie tag as an excuse. Like a (bleep) idiot.
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tox
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 12:01 am Post subject: |
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What's the context? I'd like to believe this is a personal message to D'Lo  |
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TooMuchMajicBuss
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 12:01 am Post subject: |
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| And in light of the circumstances, Kobe just equated Byron Scott to Delmer Harris. Kobe - even if you still hate Del Harris that's just cold. |
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J.C. Smith
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 12:12 am Post subject: |
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I don't think Del hated Kobe, he just wanted Kobe to earn his minutes, and maybe saw that Kobe's swagger was rubbing some other players the wrong way. Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones were both All-Stars.
Kobe's talent and athleticism was very obvious but he wasn't better than Nick or Eddie as a rookie. He shot 41.7% from the field, and averaged more turnovers than assists. The Lakers were contenders that season, and didn't have the luxury of simply giving a young guy heavy minutes. That having been said, there were some blowout games when Del didn't play Kobe because he didn't want him to view himself as a garbage time player, and those were hard to justify.
It was even harder to justify Del handing over the keys to Kobe down the stretch in the playoffs that season leading to his airballs when he had Nick Van Exel, who had been the Lakers closer for years. It just seemed like Del set Kobe up to lose in that scenario. |
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Laker_Dynasty_01
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 12:36 am Post subject: |
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| J.C. Smith wrote: | I don't think Del hated Kobe, he just wanted Kobe to earn his minutes, and maybe saw that Kobe's swagger was rubbing some other players the wrong way. Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones were both All-Stars.
Kobe's talent and athleticism was very obvious but he wasn't better than Nick or Eddie as a rookie. He shot 41.7% from the field, and averaged more turnovers than assists. The Lakers were contenders that season, and didn't have the luxury of simply giving a young guy heavy minutes. That having been said, there were some blowout games when Del didn't play Kobe because he didn't want him to view himself as a garbage time player, and those were hard to justify.
It was even harder to justify Del handing over the keys to Kobe down the stretch in the playoffs that season leading to his airballs when he had Nick Van Exel, who had been the Lakers closer for years. It just seemed like Del set Kobe up to lose in that scenario. |
IIRC, the Kobe airball game was the day after Van Exel shouted "1, 2, 3, CANCUN!" in the huddle of the last practice. He wasn't trying to save the season. Van Exel was standing closer to Del than to the three point line down the stretch, he wasn't even looking for the ball. Shaq had fouled out, Horry was ejected, and Eddie had been utterly useless in the series (Happened in 1998 again & 2005 w/Miami too, Shaq called him out).
So it was Elden, Kersey, Byron, and a disinterested NVE with Kobe in the Overtime. Kobe tried to feed Elden on three straight possessions and he couldn't do anything. So it was Kobe 1-on-1 with Bryon Russell. Bryon absolutely covered him like a blanket. |
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fiendishoc
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 1:31 am Post subject: |
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| 123 Cancun didn't happen during Kobe's rookie year. |
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non-player zealot
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 1:33 am Post subject: |
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You know what sucks? After years of BS between Del and Nick, they got along together (in Dallas) only after both of them lost their LA privileges.
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J.C. Smith
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:07 am Post subject: |
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| Laker_Dynasty_01 wrote: | | Van Exel was standing closer to Del than to the three point line down the stretch, he wasn't even looking for the ball. |
In the last couple shots this is true (if memory serves correct Nick even passed up a decent look to give Kobe a look which he airballed on one of them), but the initial culprit there was the late game situation out of a timeout where Del choose to give Kobe the final shot. Definitely his relationship with Nick was at its worst at that point and I think that caused him to put Kobe in the position.
Del barely played Kobe that season. It was an odd situation to put the burden of the franchise's season on his shoulders. Even if Kobe had helped lead their comeback. |
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jonnybravo
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 3:27 am Post subject: |
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| J.C. Smith wrote: | | Laker_Dynasty_01 wrote: | | Van Exel was standing closer to Del than to the three point line down the stretch, he wasn't even looking for the ball. |
In the last couple shots this is true (if memory serves correct Nick even passed up a decent look to give Kobe a look which he airballed on one of them), but the initial culprit there was the late game situation out of a timeout where Del choose to give Kobe the final shot. Definitely his relationship with Nick was at its worst at that point and I think that caused him to put Kobe in the position.
Del barely played Kobe that season. It was an odd situation to put the burden of the franchise's season on his shoulders. Even if Kobe had helped lead their comeback. |
I hope/think NPZ has the footage. I DISTINCTLY remember his post-game interview.
It was a pathetic combative tone to the media. This is a paraphrase but it was something to the effect of "You all wanted me to play him all season and now I do". I remember at the ripe old age of 20 being absolutely dumbfounded. Wow Del. So you did nothing...nothing in terms of letting Kobe get any burn and then you throw him in. Trust me. Kobe becoming who he became was an unintended circumstance. |
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jonnybravo
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 3:31 am Post subject: |
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| Laker_Dynasty_01 wrote: | | J.C. Smith wrote: | I don't think Del hated Kobe, he just wanted Kobe to earn his minutes, and maybe saw that Kobe's swagger was rubbing some other players the wrong way. Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones were both All-Stars.
Kobe's talent and athleticism was very obvious but he wasn't better than Nick or Eddie as a rookie. He shot 41.7% from the field, and averaged more turnovers than assists. The Lakers were contenders that season, and didn't have the luxury of simply giving a young guy heavy minutes. That having been said, there were some blowout games when Del didn't play Kobe because he didn't want him to view himself as a garbage time player, and those were hard to justify.
It was even harder to justify Del handing over the keys to Kobe down the stretch in the playoffs that season leading to his airballs when he had Nick Van Exel, who had been the Lakers closer for years. It just seemed like Del set Kobe up to lose in that scenario. |
IIRC, the Kobe airball game was the day after Van Exel shouted "1, 2, 3, CANCUN!" in the huddle of the last practice. He wasn't trying to save the season. Van Exel was standing closer to Del than to the three point line down the stretch, he wasn't even looking for the ball. Shaq had fouled out, Horry was ejected, and Eddie had been utterly useless in the series (Happened in 1998 again & 2005 w/Miami too, Shaq called him out).
So it was Elden, Kersey, Byron, and a disinterested NVE with Kobe in the Overtime. Kobe tried to feed Elden on three straight possessions and he couldn't do anything. So it was Kobe 1-on-1 with Bryon Russell. Bryon absolutely covered him like a blanket. |
Cancun happened after. |
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J.C. Smith
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 5:15 am Post subject: |
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| jonnybravo wrote: | | It was a pathetic combative tone to the media. This is a paraphrase but it was something to the effect of "You all wanted me to play him all season and now I do". |
He still defends it to this day sadly. Last time I saw him asked he said something about, "you didn't put Van Exel up against John Stockton at that point in his career". Never understood it. Nick was clutch. Made so many huge shots during that era. It was just way too much to put on the shoulders of a teenage young rookie who he had barely played for most of the season and was averaging less than 15 minutes per game in the playoffs. If Kobe was a weaker person those airballs could have derailed his career. |
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Surfitall
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 9:53 am Post subject: |
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| J.C. Smith wrote: | I don't think Del hated Kobe, he just wanted Kobe to earn his minutes, and maybe saw that Kobe's swagger was rubbing some other players the wrong way. Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones were both All-Stars.
Kobe's talent and athleticism was very obvious but he wasn't better than Nick or Eddie as a rookie. He shot 41.7% from the field, and averaged more turnovers than assists. The Lakers were contenders that season, and didn't have the luxury of simply giving a young guy heavy minutes. That having been said, there were some blowout games when Del didn't play Kobe because he didn't want him to view himself as a garbage time player, and those were hard to justify.
It was even harder to justify Del handing over the keys to Kobe down the stretch in the playoffs that season leading to his airballs when he had Nick Van Exel, who had been the Lakers closer for years. It just seemed like Del set Kobe up to lose in that scenario. |
He may not have been better statistically, but he was way more exciting to watch. Even in his first year, he could do things others couldn't. And while that Laker team was a playoff contending team, they were not serious championship contenders. It drove me crazy the way he wouldn't play Kobe in those early years. I remember he would pull Kobe out too just as he was getting hot. |
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J.C. Smith
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 11:20 am Post subject: |
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| Surfitall wrote: | | He may not have been better statistically, but he was way more exciting to watch. Even in his first year, he could do things others couldn't. And while that Laker team was a playoff contending team, they were not serious championship contenders. |
Kobe was definitely exciting. But in fairness to Del, his goal was to win games. A comparison of the guards that year:
Eddie Jones: 17.2 points (43.8% fg, 39.1% 3p), 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.6 blocksm 2.1 turnovers in 37.5 minutes
Van Exel: 15.3 points (40.2% fg, 37.8% 3p), 8.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.1 blocks, 2.7 turnovers in 37.2 minutes
Kobe: 7.6 points (41.7% fg, 37.5% 3p), 1.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.6 turnovers in 15.5 minutes
Byron Scott: 6.7 points (43% fg, 38.8% 3p), 1.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 0.7 turnovers in 18.2 minutes
Fisher: 3.9 points (39.7% fg, 30.1% 3p), 1.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks, 1.1 turnovers in 11.5 minutes
Nick drove the offense (and was an All-star the next season), Eddie was already an All-Star, and Kobe also had to deal with the veteran in Scott.
The Lakers were definitely contenders, but Utah was the best team in the West. They were the #4 seed but only 1 game behind the Rockets and Sonics. IMO the Lakers at that time matched up as well with the Bulls as anyone, and matched up well with the Sonics, as well. They just couldn't get past Utah. |
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venturalakersfan
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 11:23 am Post subject: |
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And Del was a much better coach than Byron
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silkwilkes
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 11:25 am Post subject: |
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Well you had Eddie Jones... and Eddie was a stud. So Del didn't really have a spot for Kobe.
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Steve007
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 11:30 am Post subject: |
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The Lakers absolutely were a serious championship contender that year. Shaq missed 31 games and they still finished only one game behind the #2 seed.
I still remember them beating Seattle, taking the #1 seed and reading about Van Exel declaring the division race to be over. Then Shaq got injured and he turned out to be wrong. That injury really hurt and Shaq didn't come back until there was about 5 games left.
The series with Utah was far more competitive than the 98 series. The team got screwed by the refs in game 2 and should have taken game 5. It should have been a 6 or 7 game series. |
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OshadowO
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 12:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Oliver Reed wrote: | | Nashlight wrote: | | Was there a reason why Del Harris didn't like playing Kobe? |
No one liked Kobe. Kobe rubs people the wrong way. Phil didn't like him because he was looking into the mirror when he looked at Kobe. Same kind of personality. Egotistical, know it all who backed up what he put out there.
Del Harris didn't play him for the same reason dip (bleep) Scott doesn't play Russell. Because he can. Using the rookie tag as an excuse. Like a (bleep) idiot. |
Del was somewhat justified because he had a good team and good players at Kobe's position. Scott....well he does play 2 other rooks. He starts out of the blue, Brown, with almost no PT prior to Kobe being injured and also starts Nance (right call imo). For some reason he has it out for Russel and Randle.
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